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Periost
Periost was the name given to the first planet in the Coelest system, the same star system that housed the planet Substance, as well as Installation 05 - Delta Halo. Periost itself orbited very close to its host star and as such it received a great amount of heat and light. It was also half the size of Earth. It is believed that the planet itself could be an artificial construct created by the Forerunners to serve as a power station, but not much evidence has surfaced as of yet on that note. Planetary Information Periost is the Human name for the small rock. To the Forerunners, based on salvaged data records regarding the Coelest System, the planet was known as Galfabi in Jagon, the language of the Builders, the foremost Forerunner rate. This name is highly appropriate due to the fact that the Builders had such a significant presence in the system itself due to the Halo Installation around Substance. Periost orbits at a tenth of an astronomical unit from its star, so the planet is tidally locked. One side always faces the star. The other always faces away, leading to a massive temperature differential. The daytime side reaches temperatures of well over 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and the planet does not have any atmosphere to speak of. Additionally, the planet has a gravitational pull of only .6G, so individuals are much lighter on the surface than on Earth, but feel more pull than on Luna. This may lead to difficulty travelling from one place to another without proper movement thanks to such a light tug. The close proximity to the star also means that the surface is highly irradiated. There have been reports though of extremophile activity in the subsurface soil. This raises the question as to whether Periost was always in such a tight orbit around Coelest, or whether it was in a further orbit in the past. Periost is under incredible tidal stress with cracks forming in the surface thanks to its speed and pull. Massive tectonic movement causes chasms to appear in latitudes closer to the equator. These chasms don't move quickly on a Human timespan, so they are prime points of opportunity for mining ventures. Companies like Liang Dortmund have contracted several groups of individuals to search for mineral deposits below the surface. The mining operations have yielded profits, but at the same time, Forerunner metal. Forerunner Presence The fact that Forerunners had a presence such as Periost within the Coelest system is not a surprise at all given the nature of the star system housing a Fortress World, but what is surprising is the amount of development that seems to have taken place on Periost, which by all accounts was not a prime planet to be doing much on given the heat, radiation and general unpleasantness of the environment. The working theory that is flung about xenoanthropologists is that Periost is a power station meant to take in power from Coelest and convert it to energy that is then beamed to Installation 05. The points that may support this hypothesis is the constant streams of information from the Forerunner structures of Periost and Delta Halo. Additionally, arrays of possible solar capture facilities have been found in upper polar regions that constantly get sunlight all throughout Periost's quick orbital period. Though mining has determined that there is Forerunner installations that go deep into the planet's crust, there is a second theory that suggests that the entire planet is artificial, though there is not enough evidence to conclusively answer that question. The furthest Forerunner structure discovered was at a depth of 6 kilometers thanks to openings in the crust where echoing pulses were able to penetrate further into the planet. As was stated before, there is no hard evidence to support this. The Office of Naval Intelligence is thought to have true numbers as well as the UEG Frontier Corps and the subsequent Bureau of Xenoanthropology. Another question is who would have staffed such a facility. Initially the first guess was Lifeworkers given the importance of the facility, but interestingly there have been speculation that Miners may have inhabited this place as well given which would help support the artificial nature of Periost. However, nothing conclusive is clear even after an extensive amount of study. It is possible that further exploration of the planet will yield answers. UEG Exploitation Because of its position as a power station, the UEG has taken an interest in Periost, though the list of advantages is rather short. The planet itself has a higher concentration of Iron and even Uranium, which is mined by private corporations, one of the more prominent being Liang Dortmund. Miners represent the largest population on the planet, whose numbers peak around 100,000 scattered in multiple small sealed towns all over the planet. Companies stake a claim to each part of the land and drill. There have been unconfirmed reports that there have been private wars over mineral deposits, though the fights are so small the UNSC doesn't usually interfere and thanks to the fact that the world is more or less privately owned, there is little that can be done about corp wars. The Forerunner sites on the other hand are prohibited for development due to ongoing investigations into their purpose, however, the tunnels and floors travel countless miles and even after 200 years of study, there are still doors that have not been opened. Runes translate to requiring direct authorization of a Lifeworker for further access. Researchers number approximately 10,000, mostly converged onto one site, which is believed to be a major access point into the inner workings of the planet. List of Appearances -Journal of Sally Acorn (First Appearance) Category:Planets Category:Locations Category:Planet